Rare Book Monthly
Articles - December - 2002 Issue
Conversing with Mr. Americana: Talking Books With Bill Reese
feature article
It also is having a huge effect on bringing prices toward some mean. In Americana, you don’t get so many repeat listings. A big criteria we’re paying lots of attention to are the issues of scarcity and condition on the internet. You need to look at the copies being offered and notice their condition.
I think the internet is a huge bookselling tool – anyone in the business is crazy to think that they can ignore it. The internet is all for the good of both customers and book dealers. And it can serve in many capacities, one of which, as I have previously noted, is as a repricing tool.
AT: Today collectors have access to roughly 75 million books through various search engines. That means that if they have a title, author and imprint date they can search the world for this title – generally in a few minutes. That would seem to put the emphasis for the collector on 1) knowing what to collect and 2) knowing how to judge a book by its description. How will/do dealers fit into this changing world?
BR: Right now, you can have at your fingertips all the data on all the stocks in the world. It does not mean that you know which stocks to invest in. Anything that provides access to data – especially including AE – I’m all for. Giving people access to information is important and makes a big difference – but that’s all it does. A collector who decided he didn’t need a dealer’s advice would potentially make a very bad mistake. There is no substitute for expertise, particularly in a field where that expertise is very difficult to come by. Information doesn’t mean that people know what to do with it.
AT: What would you like to see more of on the internet that isn’t there now?
BR: My view and the view of many people I know – collectors, dealers, librarians – is the online model people are happiest with is one that allows the most contact between dealers and customers. In terms of developing collectors, getting sensible input from people who know more about it is the best thing we can add. If people can get their questions answered, everyone’s happier.
Last Words:
AT: Do you have any words of advice for people who want to go into the rare books trade? If so, what are they?
BR: It’s funny how many people come around and tell me that they want to be in the rare book business. The rare book business is a business like any other. It’s a tough business, requiring lots of effort and acquisition of knowledge. Many people have a rarefied view of the rare book business – they envision people sitting around smoking pipes, surrounded by books. It’s actually nothing like that and it’s extremely hard to get knowledge, expertise in the rare books area.
